Shakugan no Shana: Kensai Enters
by Lucky Jinxe
Summary: All is well in Misaki City, Bal Masqué has been defeated once again, Yuji and Shana have started on their road as a young couple, life seems to have calmed down. But Fate has decided that things will not stay so.
1. Prologue

**P**rologue

It was the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day in England. A light snow was still falling on Misaki City, the inhabitants wandered through the streets or stayed in their homes, unaware of the catastrophe that had narrowly been avoided. The hero and heroines of the city unknown to its populace, and it would stay that way, which is perhaps best.

Who would know what would happen should the human race find out the truth of the world? That beings called Guze no Tomogora eat humans' existence in order to gain power, and that Flame Hazes hunt them, to keep the balance of the world. That a passer-by, a close friend, might already be dead, nothing but a temporary replacement to keep the balance of the world, a Torch.

The hero and heroines in question are an unusual group, three Flame Hazes, and a Mystes, a Torch that carries a Hougu, a treasure, still recover from the events of Christmas Eve. In particular, the Mystes and one of the Flame Hazes, for much change has occurred in their lives over the past two days, changing their futures forever.

The Mystes in question bears the name Sakai Yuji, and although many Flame Haze do not have names, just titles, this Flame Haze has two names. The name of the girl whose existence she 'barged into' after the girl died, was replaced with a Torch which disappeared as all Torches are destined to, Hirai Yukari; and also the name the Mystes gave her, Shana, after the name of the sword she carries, Nietono no Shana.

The Mystes carries the rarest and most unique of all Hougu, the Reiji Maigo, a Hougu that replenishes the power of existence used that day at midnight, in other words, unlike other Mystes and Torches, Sakai Yuji will never disappear, as long as he continues to carry the Reiji Maigo. But an army of Tomogora, Bal Masqué, know of its location, and have twice tried to use its power to accomplish their own goals, but twice they were foiled by the Flame Hazes and the Mystes.

The night of Christmas Eve, a normal human and the Flame Haze, Shana, made a promise. For nearly a whole school year they had fought over Sakai Yuji, but through many experiences their love for Sakai Yuji had brought them together as close friends. They wrote letters to Sakai Yuji, asking him to meet one of them at the Misaki Station, Shana waiting at the North exit, the human, Yoshida Kazumi, waiting at the South exit.

Sakai Yuji went to the North exit, choosing Shana over Yoshida Kazumi. Now a new path has been laid before them, not only will they fight together as a Flame Haze and the Mystes carrying the Reiji Maigo, but as something more. Much hardship and trouble await them in their future, Bal Masqué will undoubtedly come for the Reiji Maigo again, and other enemies may appear. Misaki City seems to attract Tomogora and Flame Haze, making the city a battlefield, and yet no one notices.

Sakai Yuji descended down the stairs to the kitchen of his house. His mother was already in the kitchen, preparing breakfast early, as always. Only a few days ago had he found out she was pregnant, and that he would be an older brother, but not only that, he was the second child. His mother's first child had been unable to live after a bad delivery.

"Good morning, mum." Yuji said. His mother turned around and smiled in her usual, calm, kind way.

"Good morning, Yu-chan. Breakfast will be ready soon. Could you lay the table for four people?" His mother asked.

"Okay. Wait, four people?" He asked, counting in his head just to make sure.

_Mum, Dad, me…_

"Yes, Shana-chan is joining us. She's in the living room right now." His mother asked, turning back to her cooking in the kitchen.

"Eh, Shana is?" Yuji asked in surprise, then he smiled to himself and walked out into the hall. In the kitchen, his mother continued her work with her ever-present smile, but there was something different about it this time, the smile seemed to have cause for it.

"Shana?" Yuji asked, looking into the living room. Shana was sitting there, her long black hair loose. She looked away from the television, it looked like some generic drama was on.

"Yuji!" She exclaimed happily, blushing a little. She was sitting on the sofa, clearly wanting Yuji to sit next to her, he complied after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Hey, Shana, do you want to go out somewhere today?" He forced himself to ask, they were both new to this type of relationship and weren't entirely sure how to handle the situation.

"I don't know, the shops are all closed so…." Shana said, trailing off. More awkward silence.

"Then, how about the cinema?" Yuji asked, Shana looked up questioningly.

"The cinema? I've heard about them but I don't actually know what it is." She said, embarrassed at her own naivety.

"It's like, how to explain this… it's like a huge room with a big screen at the front. Lots of people go to it and you see one film in there that's not out on TV, you can get popcorn and…." He trailed off, not sure how to continue. The silence was broken before it could drag on too long by Yuji's mother.

"Breakfast is ready!" She called from the kitchen. The two stood up and left for the dining room. There were footsteps as Yuji's father, Kantarou, walked down the stairs, scratching his head.

"Ah, Chigusa-san's cooking always smells good." He said, sitting down. Yuji and Shana stood in the doorway, unsure of where to sit, Yuji's mother would sit next to Kantarou, but that would mean they would have to sit next to each other, at that moment they found it hard to talk normally to each other, let alone sit close to each other.

"Eh, is something the matter? Yuji, Shana-chan?" Kantarou asked, looking at them.

"No, nothing." Shana said, walking and sitting opposite the empty seat next to Kantarou. Yuji sighed and walked over to the seat next to Shana, pulled the chair back, and sat down. Chigusa, Yuji's mother, came into the room from the kitchen, carrying a tray with plates of bacon, omelette and fish on. She put the plates down on the table and returned the tray to the kitchen before sitting down next to Kantarou.

"Itadakimasu!" The four chorused and took their portions of the food laid out before them.

An hour later, Shana and Yuji had left the house and were walking in an uneasy silence towards the city centre, what shops that would be open were there, and the cinema was close to the city centre.

The sun was still low in the sky, casting long shadows across the ground, Misaki City was unusually quiet for this time of day, the city was sleeping. Yuji and Shana seemed alone.

"Hey, Shana. I just realised you don't have Alastor's pendant with you." Yuji commented, breaking the silence. Shana nodded.

"Mm, I left the Jinki back with Wilhelmina. I thought… maybe… it would be best if he…." She trailed off, her face bright red.

"Eh?" Yuji queried, prompting her.

"It's nothing." Shana said, cutting off all argument in her returning clipped tone.

"Oh, okay then. Let's hurry, or we'll miss the start."

The two began to run together. As far as they were concerned, Bal Masqué had been defeated, the mysteries of the Reiji Maigo had been solved, and the battle of love between Shana and Kazumi had ended, life was calm and would give them a chance to be together unlike before.

But as with all things, Fate had other plans for them; life would not be made so easy for them, further challenges to the two as a Flame Haze and a Mystes, and as young lovers, awaited them in the near future.


	2. Chapter 1

**Writer's Note:** Thanks to those who have already reviewed the story, I'm happy that I already have some readers, I hope not to disappoint you, hopefully another year of age under my belt will enable me to control my urge to rush ahead and get to the climax better than usual!

**C**hapter 1

The strands of black stretched up into the sky, curving and melting into each other to form a red dome around the city. All time inside stopped, except for a few beings. Yuji and Shana stood outside the cinema, looking all around them.

"Fuzetsu? Who set it up?" Yuji asked no one in particular.

"I don't sense any Tomogora. Or Flame Haze. Alastor!" Shana said, looking down at where her necklace usually hung, then realised it wasn't with her.

"What's going on?" Yuji asked, again rhetorically.

"I don't know, but I don't have a good feeling." Shana said. They had lapsed back into the battle routine of a Mystes and a Flame Haze, the awkwardness between them had gone with the imminent danger that was still hidden from them.

A faint rumbling sound started somewhere in the distance. It began to grown in magnitude, all around them the ground felt like it was shaking with the sound, and then it really did begin to shake all around them. Cracks appeared in the ground, spreading up buildings as they cracked and collapsed in on themselves.

"What's going on?!" Yuji demanded again, this time more concerned.

"There must be something under the ground, but I don't sense anything!" Shana said, just as the ground beneath them burst upwards right at them. Shana grabbed Yuji by the shoulder and leapt up into the air, touching down on the roof of the building the cinema was housed in.

"What is that? I don't feel anything at all." Yuji said, staring at the ground where they had been standing, broken up and two spikes of rock rising into the ground on the exact spots they had been standing in.

"It must be the Tomogora's power! If we stay up high then it can't attack." Shana said, but no sooner had the words left her lips when the building they stood on began to shake, cracking and collapsing inwards. Yuji shouted as he fell down the sloping building into the rubble. Shana leapt for his hand but was thrown aside by a pillar of rock rising out of the centre of the building, slamming into her from the side and sending her spiralling into the air.

She turned herself upright, her flame wings materializing on her back and spreading out to their full span, she controlled her fall and landed safely on the broken ground.

"Yuji!" She shouted, calling for the Mystes that was now hidden from her sight. The rumbling continued, but the danger didn't occur to her, all she wanted was to see Yuji safe. She called out again, there was still no reply. She ran towards the cinema but a wall of rock rose out of the ground before her, up into the sky.

At the top of the wall stood the revealed Tomogora. It had taken the form of a young man in casual work-man clothes, and he was holding an unconscious Yuji in his right hand by the neck of his shirt.

"Yuji!" Shana called to him again, but there was no reply as before. The Tomogora laughed at her worry.

"So the rumours were right! Even the might Flame-haired Red-hot eyed hunter has a weakness! And what a great one!" He laughed again, then looked at the limp Yuji.

"This thing has the Reiji Maigo inside it, and I'll be taking that. Flame Haze, if you want me to leave this Mystes as it is, then surrender your sword to me, and sacrifice yourself, otherwise he's as good as dead." The Tomogora held Yuji up threateningly, his other hand slowly reaching towards Yuji's chest, which began to glow blue as the Reiji Maigo sensed the coming danger.

"No! Stop!" Shana cried, the Tomogora stopped and looked down at Shana, tears in her eyes, begging silently. He smirked at the sight of her.

"Are you sure you're a Flame Haze? You're practically crying over the death of a Mystes! If you're the best out there, it won't be hard for me to climb to the top of this miserable world." The Tomogora laughed to himself again, then all mirth left his face, and he glared down at Shana.

"Die." He said simply, the rock around Shana reached up and closed around her ankles, and started to drag her down, as if she was standing in quick sand. Her feet were unable to break free, more rock shot up and wrapped itself around her chest, pulling her backwards, her wings becoming useless.

Her hand stretched up in a vain attempt to cling to the outside as she was swallowed by the earth, dragged underneath, the ground closing up behind her, closing off any escape.

The Tomogora stared down as the ground closed over Shana's apparent tomb.

"That was too easy. How did Bal Masqué fail to kill that Flame Haze? Is it because of this Mystes? It doesn't matter. Now, give me you're Hougu." He spoke to Yuji, his hand reaching into Yuji's chest.

* * *

"I will go to help them de arimasu." Wilhelmina Carmel, a Flame Haze dressed like a maid, said to the necklace on the table.

"Take me with you, we don't know who we're up against yet." The necklace spoke to her, it was a Jinki, a sort of avatar for the Lord of Guze named The Flame of Heaven on the world.

"Very well." Wilhelmina said, picking up the necklace and walking out of the open slide door onto the balcony. She leapt off into the frozen city towards the only movement in the city.

"What's going on?" The blonde woman demanded, clutching her head in pain.

"There's a Fuzetsu outside, it looks like something's going on in the city centre." Satou, a classmate of Yuji and Shana, and also a 'henchman' for the blonde woman, replied.

"It must be a Tomogora, Marcosius, used the purifying flame on me." The blonde woman demanded of a book with a leather strap which lay on the table.

"No way! You're not going over there, you're just going to leave it to them! You just want out of the hangover, my drunken goblet, Margery Daw." The book replied, the covers flapping like a mouth. The blonde woman hit the book.

"Marcosius!" She almost screamed, then clutched her head in pain again, the book laughed at her again.

"Just rest, my raging goblet!" He said, laughing. The blonde woman gritted her teeth and lay down on the sofa, unable to do anymore.

"Tomogora located de arimasu." Wilhelmina said.

"Eliminated target." The frilly maid's hat on her head spoke.

"Wait! The Tomogora has Sakai Yuji in its hand. Shana won't have just let it take him, there must be something wrong." Alastor, The Flame of Heaven, warned. Wilhelmina hesitated and changed her course, dropping down to the roof of a building opposite the Tomogora.

"Have you come to die too? That Flame Haze from before just let herself be dragged underneath the earth by my power, Terra!" The Tomogora shouted at Wilhelmina, laughing.

"What?" She demanded.

"That little girl Flame Haze, the Flame-haired Red-hot eyed Hunter just let herself be dragged under, now she'll never come back up, that's the power of Terra! She'll keep falling until she reaches the world's core and melts or is crushed by the pressure and heat!" The Tomogora shouted triumphantly.

The ground shot up at Wilhelmina, she leapt up into the air, bands of sharp white cloth shot out from her hand, cutting the rock into pieces which fell to the ground. She landed safely on the roof of the building to her right.

"Looks like you're up for a fight, entertain me!" The Tomogora said, laughing. There was an explosion at the bottom of his rock wall and something shot out of the ground.

"What?!" The Tomogora screamed in shock, as Yuji was snatched out of his hand. The being that had come out of the explosion stood at the base of the rock wall, holding the limp Yuji under one arm.

"Now it's your turn!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Note:** Here is the finished version of Chapter 2. I've got to work on Chapter 3, to try and keep myself ahead. Exams are over my results are largely back in so I have a lot of time, although coursework seems to be taking over my evenings now, so updates may be infrequent, but I will try to make an update at least once a week.

**C**hapter 2

"What!" The Tomogora screamed furiously. He pointed at the figure holding Yuji.

"How dare you! No one can break free of my Terra! What the hell are you?"

"A Flame Haze, I've found that you are a harmful Tomogora, therefore, I will eliminate you." Yuji's saviour replied in a steady voice. The Tomogora regained his composure, and then he burst out laughing.

"You? Eliminate me? I haven't even heard of you before!" He sneered.

The figure held Yuji under one arm, under the other he held an unconscious Shana. His hair was white to the extent it looked bleached, spiked up as if gelled, he wore navy blue trousers and a T-shirt of the same colour, with a long sleeved white jacket over the top, coming down to just above his waist. He wore casual sports trainers, of a Nike design and black, all in all, he looked like a regular teenager out for a walk, if it weren't for the longsword strapped across his back. There was a ring on his ring finger; it had the look of an engagement ring, a simple band of silver.

"Oh? You must be rather badly informed then. I am the Kensai of the West, my contractor is Lord Raietei." The boy then grinned up at the Tomogora, whose face was blank.

"I guess you wouldn't know, considering I've been in the West for the past ten years. Let's just say that even Balle Masqué dare not set foot in my home country again."

"I bet it's down to the hundreds of Flame Haze over there rather than you." The Tomogora sneered again. The white haired boy sighed, closing his eyes.

"If you're trying to annoy me, you're failing quite appallingly." He opened his eyes; they were sharp and empty of remorse. "Although you have just insulted me and attempted to commit a hideous crime, your end is now."

The next second, the white haired boy was standing behind the Tomogora, whose mouth hung open; his eyes wide open with shock and unbelief.

Slowly, a rip started all the way up his shirt, from the right hip all the way up to the left shoulder, a second later, blood blasted out from the gap and the Tomogora toppled towards the ground, bursting into blue flame as he hit the tarmac road.

The white haired boy leapt the gap between the risen ground to the building Wilhelmina stood on and handed the two limp bodies to her.

"I'll fix this, if you don't mind? You're probably more suited to looking after them than I am." He said, turning around and holding a hand into the air, with index finger outstretched towards the skies. The end began to glow yellow and the damage caused slowly faded, as if time was winding backwards without the people involved. The colour of the sky changed back to blue and the world continued as normal.

* * *

"The Kensai of the West?"

Wilhelmina and the white haired boy had taken Yuji and Shana back to the apartment Shana and Wilhelmina lived in, where the two casualties gained consciousness again.

"That's right. I'm not sure you'd have heard of me, as I've been fighting in England and the rest of Europe for the past ten years. Normally Outlaw would have sent you a message that I was coming to this city, but after the whole affair involving Balle Masqué and the Reiji Maigo, Outlaw is having trouble dealing with the simplest of requests." Kensai looked around the room, which was still piled high with boxes full of reports and sheets of data sent by Outlaw.

"I didn't know about you, but I know of your contractor, Lord Raietei. It has been a very long time, Raietei." Alastor's voice came from the Jinki necklace around Shana's neck.

"It has indeed, Flame of Heaven, and you too, Tiamat."

"Although that Tomogora was relatively strong, why did the Flame Haired Red Hot Eyed Hunter lose so easily?" The White Haired boy asked, looking at Shana.

"Shana." She said. He blinked.

"Sorry?"

"My name is Shana." She said stubbornly.

"Hmm? The last report I got from Outlaw before the ones in Europe were hit a year ago said you only had your title. Well, I too have a name as well, Julius Ragnar. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now could you answer my question?" He asked, there was simple definitely... British about the boy, perhaps the way he spoke, even in Japanese with no accent, there was definitely a British hint to his style of speech. Shana did not reply, so Julius turned to Wilhelmina.

"Miss Carmel, don't tell me you are unaware of why, otherwise you would have taken action against it by now." His eyes locked onto Wilhelmina's and she had to look away from the ice blue gaze.

"The Mystes." She said, as way of explanation.

"So the rumours were true. Well, Shana, was it? You will have to be more careful. Just about every Tomogora out there knows about what that boy contains inside him, which means that he will be targeted. Just because there are three of the strongest Flame Haze out there does not mean they will be deterred, such a prize is worth the trouble." Julius shook his head, looking out of the window to his right, over Misaki City. He sighed, closing his eyes in thought. He started twisting the ring on his finger around, as a habit. He opened his eyes, nodded to himself as if he'd come to a decision and turned back to face them.

"I will stay here for the next few months. An extra Flame Haze may deter some Tomogora, but times will still be hard for you, be prepared to fight at any given time." Julius said, standing up as if to leave.

"I've been training Yuji so that he can defend himself, we'll be fine even without you." Shana said. Her Flame Haze face was on, harsh and not giving anything away. Julius turned around, smiling with his back to her.

"It's not just he who needs training, Shana." Julius turned around and stared right into her eyes, even Shana had difficulty holding the piercing gaze.

"You are strong, but as the Flame Haired Red Hot Eyed Hunter, you should know you are no where near your full capacity. Flame of Heaven, you know this too. I know she is still young, but I have heard of her ability to survive Tenpa Jyousai. Surely she is able to withstand you filling her with more of your power?" His tone was neutral, but there was a certain force behind hit that made it hard to argue. Even Alastor was silent for a moment as he thought over what Julius had said.

"You are right, but at this stage, training the Mystes is the top priority. It will be hard to train Shana and the Mystes at the same time, and the training will exhaust both of them, if a Tomogora were to attack immediately after a training session, they would both be in dire peril."

"I said I'd stick around a bit." Julius said, smiling. His tone becoming softer, the force behind it lost and his language become more casual.

"Do not overestimate yourself, many Flame Haze have died doing so." Alastor warned the young boy. Julius turned back around towards the door, leaving the apartment.

"I'm not overestimating myself. I won't die while there are things I must do." Julius said ominously, leaving and shutting the door behind him. The trio in the apartment sat staring at the door, disturbed by the new Flame Haze's words, and all contemplating their new predicament.


	4. Chapter 3

**Note: **Another long break but I have some ideas (and time) for this now so I'll get cracking until I've finished it. Thanks for all the interest, it's part of why I'm determined to continue this.

**C**hapter 3

Outside, Julius stared up at the blue sky, lost in thought. After a moment's repose he turned away, walking from the apartment and out into the city. He pondered the situation of the city, sub-consciously noting the layout of the area as he wandered through the streets and also the concentrations of Torches.

It was true, Misaki City was famous among Flame Haze for having a high concentration of Torches; but it mildly surprised him to see so many, even with forewarning it was an odd sight to behold.

The snow had all but stopped, however the streets and roads were covered in a thick blanket of white. The city was quiet, no cars were out and people were in their homes, in the warmth. After all, where would they go? Few shops and services were open as a great deal of workers could not get to work and it would take some time for those in charge of clearing the roads to be ousted from their homes and families, it _was_ Boxing Day.

As Julius wandered, exploring the city while thinking of his home and what he was missing, the snow began to pick up drastically. After a few moments his mind realised the blizzard that was coming over the city and he retreated into a nearby shopping mall, shaking his hair and wiping the snow off his clothes.

The building was almost empty, a few stray people rushing back and forth, presumably staff having to cover for their absent companions. After having freed himself of the quickly melting snow, Julius walked further into the mall, curious as to what was sold in such a place. He was from the west, where things were very different. Upon sating his inquisitiveness, he walked towards the sliding doors again, only to find that they were stuck close and that all he could see was a think wall of white.

Frowning, Julius turned away from the doors, heading to the other side of the building but to no avail, he found the same situation there. Climbing to the next floor, he found a window that was not locked and; after looking around for anyone who could see him, he quickly opened the window and slipped outside, dropping down onto the snow. The blizzard had become a lot stronger, large snow flakes falling from the sky and settling in huge clumps on the ground.

If it had not been for Julius' intuition and his abilities as a Flame Haze, he would have sunk right into the snow and have been stuck there before he was buried alive in the stuff. He ran across the snow, eager to escape from the blizzard. Somewhere in his slowly freezing his mind he was aware that such a heavy snowfall was not realistic, that something was wrong. The thought grew and grew until it became a certainty and; after dropping behind a building out of the storm temporarily, Julius looked around, searching for something out of the ordinary.

It was a fruitless search. After five minutes, Julius decided to just get out of the snow and utilise the equipment he had brought with him in order to find the cause. He left the cover of the building again, the blinding snow instantly hit him and he slowed down considerably but strove onwards. It seemed as if the snow was following him, trying to bring him down and bury him alive. He laughed, finally realising the truth. Julius unsheathed his sword and leaped into the midst of the snow storm, the power from his legs enhanced by his powers as a Flame Haze. He finally sensed a Guze no Tomogora, the blizzard thinning and he saw a figure against the faint light of the clouded sky.

Catching sight of movement, Julius twisted and his sword sang through the air. There was resistance for a moment, a scream, and then nothing. Julius saw a splatter of red on the snow below; but the presence he had felt had disappeared, along with the blizzard and all other traces of the Guze no Tomogora. Hurtling down towards the ground; Julius flipped around at the last moment and landed deftly on his feet, barely making prints in the fresh snow.

He stood up, sheathing his sword. The blade and scabbard disappeared and he ran from the scene, not wanting to be caught near a blood splatter on the snow, there would be too many questions. He had not even had time to cast a Fuzetsu; he had had to act quickly.

The white haired boy reached into his trouser pocket, pulling out a modern mobile phone, the latest model in the West; and dialled a number before holding it to his ear while running across the piled snow. It became shallower as he went further, the effects of the unnatural blizzard weaker further away from the fight scene.

"I need information about a Guze no Tomogora. Any that have abilities to do with water, ice, snow, the weather and cold. Yes. Good, fax it to me when you have a chance. Thanks." With that, he pressed the end call button on the phone and dropped it back into his pocket, turning a corner, now the snow was thin and he could feel the solid pavement underneath his trainers. Releasing his powers as a Flame Haze, he began to walk normally, footprints beginning to appear where he walked. It would not do for someone to see him walking on snow and leaving no prints.

*****

"Can you believe him? Who does he think he is?" Shana demanded angrily.

"It's only because I was careless, Shana." Yuji tried to assure her but the girl was in one of her tantrums and would not break free easily.

"He comes here and doesn't understand anything!" She cried.

"Shana! Calm down!" Alastor's voice was firm and Shana paused, holding a pillow over her head prior to throwing the object at an appropriate wall nearby. "He is not someone you should just ignore. I have heard about the Flame Haze Lord Raietei contracted. He is very powerful and skilled; but he is famous for being wise despite his age. You should listen to what he says carefully."

"So he was right, Alastor?" Shana asked, her arms falling to her side as she looked down at the pendant around her neck.

"I can give you more of my power but I don't know if you are ready for it. You have great depth as a vessel, hence why you alone can survive Tenpa Jyousai, but I do not want to risk giving you too much of my power, the flames could kill you if you're not ready."

"I'm ready." Shana answered instantly but Yuji intervened on Alastor's behalf, concerned that Shana's obstinate nature would lead to her own death.

"Shana, maybe we should only do that when we're in danger? It doesn't make much sense to have power when you're not going to use it."

"He speaks the truth." Alastor supported Yuji's theory. "If I give you extra power now then our enemies can make a measure of your power; but if I do it when you need it then we can use it as a surprise to gain the advantage."

Shana frowned, not happy with this explanation. She looked to Wilhelmina who nodded her head and then to Yuji.

"You think its best?" She asked. Yuji was surprised she asking his opinion and it was clear she was embarrassed about it for she had pulled that tell-tale face where she blushed and pouted; looking away from the person she was talking to and over their shoulder.

"I think its better safe than sorry." He insisted and she gave in at last with a tremendous sigh.

"Fine, I suppose for now we can do it like that. But later we'll do it, right Alastor?" Shana asked and the Flame of Heaven meekly agreed to the steel in her voice. The girl would not forget that agreement and they all knew it.

"Oh, I should probably head home now." Yuji suddenly said, noticing the time as he looked around the room aimlessly and saw a clock.

"I'll take you back. There's another Tomogora around. It's wounded but it could still attack you if you're on your own." Shana's voice once again brooked no argument and they left the apartment together.

"Hey, Shana." Yuji started; but stopped, unsure how to continue.

"What is it?" She asked, tilting her head to look sideways at him.

"Did you see that ring on his finger?" Yuji asked her. It took the girl a few moments to work out who he was talking about and cast her thoughts back.

"That silver thing? It was just a piece of jewellery." She dismissed the significance of the ring without really thinking about it but Alastor spoke up.

"In Western Europe they use silver rings to symbolise engagement and gold rings for marriage. He wore it on his ring finger so it means just that."

"He's engaged?" Shana asked, incredulous.

"I don't know; but it would seem so."

"How could someone like him be engaged?" Shana demanded, the fury once again rising to the surface.

"By asking for someone's hand in marriage. That's the usual way, isn't it?" Shana's eyes drifted to the right where the boy in question was standing, hands in his pockets, by a telegraph pole at the end of a row of houses.

"What is it?" Shana demanded abruptly. Julius sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I suppose I made a bad impression with what I said earlier, huh? Sorry about that, I have… problems with some things. In any case, I thought you should know that the second Tomogora here is still around and that he's a member of a group of Tomogora separate from Bal Masqué."

"Separate from Bal Masqué?" Alastor demanded.

"There are many more groups of Tomogora around; Bal Masqué is just the most prominent by virtue of the Trinity who have eluded us for a few centuries. This second group has come onto the stage fairly recently and with a bit of a bang, they destroyed our outpost in New York." Julius' voice was grave.

"Isn't that East Edge's outpost?" Alastor asked and Julius nodded. "Impossible." The Flame of Heaven surmised.

"East Edge?" Shana asked quizzically.

"One of the most powerful Flame Haze. There are Four Gods of the Earth and he is one of them. One of the Trinity would have difficulty fighting him, and would most likely lose. To think an unknown group of Tomogora could kill him is ridiculously."

"He survived; but barely. He managed to make a report a couple of days ago. There were seven of them and their powers were complimentary. They killed the other Flame Haze staying there at the time and he was barely able to fight them off. He believes he wounded them all quite heavily but was positive none of them would die as a result."

"That is… problematic. One of them is here, you say?" Alastor asked, the scepticism now lost from his disembodied voice.

"He was the one you will have detected earlier; but it was not one of the six. Just a scout who belongs to that same group. I wounded him but his power makes him hard to corner without a spontaneous wide range attack. He'll most likely report to the six and they'll head here so I advise you be on your guard."

With that Julius turned to go but he stopped

"Sorry again for how harsh I was earlier, it's been tough over in Europe and I've seen a lot friends die because they weren't properly prepared. I don't want to see anymore death if I can help it, at the cost my own life if necessary." The boy walked away, leaving Shana and Yuji to watch his receding back.


End file.
